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Insomnia: Chemical Causes

Chemical causes of insomnia are extremely common. the most widespread causes are pharmaceutical medications, including prescription nonprescription (over the counter, OTC) drugs, herbs, and nutritional supplements.

More pharmaceuticals, herbs, and supplements are consumed today than ever before in human history. Two-thirds of U.S. adults over 60 are taking more than five prescription drugs a day, while more than one-fifth of children under 12 years old are using at least one prescription medication.

The ingredients in these formulations interact within the body in unpredictable ways. the average prescription medication causes over 70 side effects, including insomnia.

Many medications act alone to disrupt sleep, while others act in unison, combining in vivo to create new biochemical moieties with poorly understood and unrecognized effects. some medications disrupt sleep when they are administered, while others affect it when they are withdrawn.

A huge number of medications disrupt sleep either directly or indirectly. these medications include, but are not limited to:

• ADHD medications • Alcohol • Allergy medications • Antidepressants • Antihypertensive medications • Antiparkinsonian medications • Asthma medications • Caffeine-containing medications • Chemotherapeutic agents • GERD medications • Hormones • Diuretics • Laxatives • Tobacco and nicotine • Seizure medications • Recreational drugs

Many herbal compounds and supplements contribute to or cause insomnia. some of these include:

• Ginseng • Barberry • Uva ursi • Ephedra or ma huang • Goldenseal • Green and black teas • Coffee • Melatonin • Adrenal “support” formulas • Essential oils

The use of medication to suppress symptoms of illness should be avoided whenever possible since this method of treatment frequently results in sleep-disrupting side effects. these complications are not only extremely common but also highly predictable and increase in frequency and likelihood as the number of medications, supplements, and herbs increases. Volumes of medical data have documented these phenomena, but the texts and online data are still incomplete.

A complete medication, herb, and supplement inventory should be obtained. Ingredients on all products should be reviewed and nonessential items eliminated.

All medications, herbs, and supplements known to affect sleep should be discontinued. the ingestion of any compound capable of affecting sleep (positively or negatively) should be eliminated (under medical supervision) until the actual effects are determined.

Chemicals can disrupt sleep regardless of the time of day when they are administered. these agents affect the body many hours and sometimes days after their administration.

Metabolism and excretion of these compounds varies widely, depending on the combination of agents being utilized. Even so-called “sub-therapeutic” levels of many compounds still have the potential to produce profound effects.

Not only can the metabolism of these agents vary widely from person to person, but also individuals can react idiosyncratically and unpredictably to different combinations of drugs and herbal supplements.

It is important to remember that most pharmaceuticals and herbs on the market are backed by limited and incomplete safety data. Most medications receive only the bare minimum requirement of study (if any) before approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and most serious side effects and “black box warnings” are discovered after the drugs were approved and marketed.

The FDA admits that improper procedures and political lobbying have frequently contributed to the approval of medications that should never have been accepted.

Since the majority of people taking pharmaceuticals engage in polypharmacy, the potential for chemical interactions is extremely important and yet remains virtually ignored. As a result, these agents, singly and in combination, are responsible for many complications and deaths.

This is the fourth of a 10-part series.

Next week: more chemical causes of insomnia.

Dr. Whitmont is a classical homeopathic physician and internist who practices in New York. His website is HomeopathicMD.com

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